Among the oldest of many wine cliché’s is that Rosés
don’t age well and, like seersucker suits, are out of style after the Labor Day
following the vintage. While wearing summer suits out of season might not be in
good taste, drinking the best pink wines year-round is highly recommended.

The types of food that call for a bottle, or more, of Rosé
are hardly limited to hot weather dining. Grilling has become a year-round
practice for an increasing number of people and strongly seasoned, spicy dishes
are now the everyday rule rather than the exception on many wine and food
lovers’ tables and such food practically begs for pink wine. Why should
consumers limit their pink wine enjoyment to a three month window when the
types of food that match perfectly with them are enjoyed regardless of season.

The northern hemisphere has just officially entered
summer but Rosé sales and consumption began to take off a good three months ago
and appear to just be hitting their stride. By all reports the pace is, once
again, rapid and not slowing down. It’s good to bear in mind that the vast
majority of Rosés in the market right now are from the 2016 vintage, so barely
half a year old, and with rare exception the wines have only just had time to
open up since bottling and shipping. Most overseas markets have seen hardly a
trickle of 2016 European or American white wines so far but, interestingly,
we’ve already had the chance to taste through and reviewed hundreds of
currently available pink wines (see part
one of the Rosé roundup as well as Ian d’Agata’s extensive coverage of
Italy’s often intriguing rosatos),
with even more to follow.

As I’ve mentioned before, top-notch pink wines not only
reward some patience, many of them quite frankly demand it. For most of the Rosés
reviewed here, a year (or usually more) of bottle age brings more aromatic
complexity, texture and depth but rarely compromises the wines’ freshness and
energy. While there’s absolutely no harm in drinking even the most serious
recently released Rosés over the coming months, I strongly encourage those with
open minds and available storage space to stash away some of the best wines
covered here for at least a year, or even more.